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Visible Light Source

12 REPLIES 12
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Message 1 of 13
chubbard
4053 Views, 12 Replies

Visible Light Source

Does anybody have a good technique to hide or remove the light source objects that import with Revit light fixtures? We have them turned off in Revit (In the view we are exporting) but they still show in NW.  I figured they were a geometry piece and I could search for them.

 

However some are part of the overall light geometry and some are separate. Also they have no common property. The only property I can search for is material and even that is wierd. For some reason the light source is taking on one of the assigned materials from the light family, and depending on the light type it may be a different material.

 

For instance. Pendant light. Light source has the material of the lens

2x2 Troffer Light source is part of the overall light and has no material

Linear light - Light source is part of the overall light and has the housing material.

 

We are working on a pipe vs. light in a highly congested area and the source is always in the way and hard to tell from he actual light and or pipe. We are also getting hits on Clash detective if we use the First Object resolution to get the entire light.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks

12 REPLIES 12
Message 2 of 13
john.lipp
in reply to: chubbard

Hi chubbard

If you use find items to run a search query with Revit Material set as category and name property equal to "Default Light Source" as described in the following article, does this find the fixtures you want to hide?

Alternatively, if you edit the Lighting Fixtures family in Revit and uncheck "Light Source" in the family parameters list as described in the following article, does this resolve the issue?

Revit lighting fixtures export light sources as geometry.
 - http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS14974481



Best regards,

 

autodesk_logo_signature.png

 

John Lipp

Product Support Specialist

Autodesk Product Support

Message 3 of 13
chubbard
in reply to: chubbard

John,

 

No all of the light sources are different materials. None of them are "Default Light Source" Yes I could turn off the light source but there are over 500 light families because the firm that created it did not understand types, plus lots of custom lights etc.  I have never seen the lights come in as different materials. Look at my post, some are picking the lens material  others the body material, some have no material.

Message 4 of 13
chubbard
in reply to: chubbard

Jon,

 

Attached are 2 screenshots of the Properties palette for each light. Let me preface this by saying these 2 are the same family different type.  Fixture F-1 I can select the source itself. I has the material as the lens. Fixture F-2 I can only select the entire light (Fixture, body, pendant) and it has the material Plastic-Blue.

 

Wierd?

 

Light F-1.jpgLight F-2.jpg

Message 5 of 13
john.lipp
in reply to: chubbard

Hi chubbard,

 

Thank you for the update.  By default the selection resolution in Navisworks is set to Last Object, so if your selection resolution is set to this, when you select the light source in the Navigation window, you’ll select the entire Light Object rather than the light source photometric web geometry. 

Looking at your screenshots, it may be the case as the type property states “composite” rather than Geometry.  The Light object will have a different material stated than the light source solid.   I checked with a sample file, and I find materials such as “Glass – White, High Luminance” and not “Default Light Source” for the light objects.  After setting the resolution to geometry and selecting the light source geometry, the material is then “Default Light Source.”

Please try setting the selection resolution to geometry and try selecting the light source.  To set the selection resolution, slide out the “Select & Search” panel in the Home Tab.

If the selection resolution is set to Geometry is the Material stated as Default Light Source?

If so, then you should be able to run the Find Items query on that material to hide the extra light source geometry.


Best regards, 

John Lipp

Product Support Specialist

Autodesk Product Support

Message 6 of 13
chubbard
in reply to: chubbard

John,

 

That was my first thought till I did a search for "Default Light Source" and none were found.  See the attached screen shot showing the selection resolution at Geometry and the item properties showing Composite part and Plastic Blue. Also look at the lights on the screen. Some have different colored Light sources and others match the rest of the fixture. The blue lights on the right and the blue and gray lights on the left are the same Revit family, different types. The Square and can lights are "Stock" Revit lights.

 

We keep a saved search for this and have used it quite successfully. But we have never done it from Revit 2011 to NW 2011 before.

 

I am at a loss on this one.

  Light Materials.jpg

Message 7 of 13
chubbard
in reply to: chubbard

John,

 

Another shot showing the options for materials in the search palette. Note the lack of "Default Light Source."

 

Have tried overrides in Revit and the family, turned on the light source prior to exporting to NWC.

 

The above changed the material layouts a bit, but still did not export the material "Default Light Source."

 

Search Results.jpg

Message 8 of 13
john.lipp
in reply to: chubbard

Hi chubbard,

 

Please send a  screnshot of the selection tree after expanding one of these lights it to see its components?

 

Would you be able to post a non-sensitive sample RVT file that has some of these lighting fixtures?

 

Best regards, 

autodesk_logo_signature.png

 

John Lipp

Product Support Specialist

Autodesk Product Support

Message 9 of 13
chubbard
in reply to: chubbard

John,

 

Here is the selection tree showing the F2 and F1 fixtures. Group from light file is attached.

 

Expanded Lights.jpg

Message 10 of 13
john.lipp
in reply to: chubbard

Hi chubbard

Thank you for the screenshot and the file.  I believe the issue has somethign to do with the Light Distribution setting in the light source definitions of your light sources in your customized Light Fixture Families.

I tried the following:

1. Open your file in Revit

2. In the Project browser click and expand Families > Lighting Fixtures


3. Right-click “Downlight – Recessed Can” and select Edit.

 

4. In the view, Select the light source web

 

5. Click Light Source Definition in the Lighting panel of the Modify | Light Source tab

 

6. Under Light distribution, I changed it to any of the other settings (Spherical, Hemispherical, or Spot) other than Photometric Web.

 

7. Click Load into Project in the Family Editor panel  

 

8. Select “Overwrite the Existing Version” in the Family Already Exists window


After doing this, when I export to Navisworks, the “Downlight – Recessed Can” the light source then uses the Default Light Source material and the light source is separate from the can portion which allows it to be searched on and hidden.

This works for the other light source types such as Pendant Light – Disk as well.

The workaround is to either change the light source’s Light distribution setting from Photometric Web to another type of the 3 types, which will allow you to search for the light source’s Default Light Source material or to use the instructions from the article to unmark the Light Source box, which will simply have the exporter not convert the light source as a solid in the model.


Best regards,

autodesk_logo_signature.png

John Lipp

Product Support Specialist

Autodesk Product Support

Message 11 of 13
chubbard
in reply to: chubbard

John,

 

Thanks for the review. I hope you do not consider this a desired behavior. Most of the Revt light families have a photometric web for their source, and all of the manufacturer provided lights I have seen do as well. I know the architect and engineer spent a lot of time setting those properly for rendering purposes and now we have to go through and undo all that work.

 

Why does the NW exporter even export the light source when it is turned off in the export view from Revit? Is this going to be resolved going forward?

 

Again thanks for tracking down the issue I hope to see a correction soon in future releases.

Message 12 of 13
john.lipp
in reply to: chubbard

Hi chubbard,

 

This is not desired behavior. 

I was able to reproduce this issue creating my own example by adding a light fixture and modifying its family to specify an IES file for its Photometric Web of its light source. The result of the NWC export was that the photometric web of a light source takes on one of the materials of the light fixture and merges with those solids from the light fixture in the selection tree.

I have logged this issue with our developement team.


Best regards,

 
autodesk_logo_signature.png

John Lipp

Product Support Specialist

Autodesk Product Support

Message 13 of 13
BIMAbhi
in reply to: chubbard

Whenever a revit file is being exported to a navis format the light source (the visibility being made off in revit) gets turned on navis.Is it possible to have the same settings of import standard from revit to a navis file though we can make changes manually in an imported navis file.In bottom we dont want to see light source in navis.

Thanks & Regards
BIMAbhi

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